ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) — It was a rough weekend for the Cardinals out in San Diego, as St. Louis was swept in a series for the first time in the 2021 season. The standings weren’t the only area in which the Cardinals were scathed, as the team announced Tuesday they have placed outfielder Tyler O’Neill on the 10-day injured list with a non-displaced fracture in his left middle-finger. O’Neill injured the finger on a slide during Sunday night’s game in San Diego.
On the season, O’Neill has recorded a .250 batting average, eight home runs and 18 RBIs in 30 games, but had been putting together a particularly impactful stretch of late, blasting seven home runs with a .958 OPS since he last returned from the injured list on April 23.
“He’s been playing like he’s capable,” Shildt said of O’Neill, noting the timing of the injury is unfortunate given his recent production. “Always could be worse, but he’s going to have a pause in his season, at the moment.”
The Cardinals believe O’Neill will miss in the neighborhood of 10 to 14 days with the injury. His placement on the injured list was retroactive to May 17.
The team also announced Tuesday that they have activated pitcher Daniel Ponce De Leon and utility player John Nogowski from the IL.
Ponce de Leon, who had struggled early in the year for St. Louis while dealing with right-shoulder inflammation, recently had a rehab appearance with Memphis in which he threw three scoreless innings. Nogowski makes his return to the roster following a bone bruise that resulted from a pitch that hit him in the left hand in late April. While rehabbing in Memphis, Nogowski compiled a .250 average (7-for-28) with a .344 on-base percentage.
Right-handed reliever Junior Fernandez was sent to Triple-A Memphis to help make room for both additions.
Cardinals president of baseball operations offered several injury-related updates Tuesday, noting that both Miles Mikolas and Carlos Martinez could return to the starting rotation within the next week as the duo makes their way back from injuries.
The timing for the rotation reinforcements could prove ideal, as the Cardinals begin another stretch of 17 games in 17 days when they welcome the Cubs to town Friday. Shildt stopped short of declaring specifics for his team’s pitching plans, but the expectation is that the team would revert to a six-man rotation during that upcoming stretch.
Jordan Hicks received an injection in his ailing elbow Monday and will spend the next month angled toward rest and recovery as he looks to work his way back into the team’s second-half pitching plans. Hicks, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019, has been on the shelf since his surgically-repaired elbow began barking on him yet again earlier this month.
Copyright 2021 KMOV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
Copyright 2021 KMOV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved
